Coco Gauff faces racist online abuse after China Open match incident

Coco Gauff confronted a surge of racist harassment on social media following a disputed moment during her third-round China Open victory.

The American tennis player won 7-5, 6-1 against 16-year-old Sun Xinran, but the match drew backlash after Gauff stopped play during a crucial first-set point. An advertising board flickered, prompting Gauff to raise her hand. After a video review, the umpire ordered the point replayed. Gauff won the replay and secured the match.

“You can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist,” Gauff wrote on X. She also addressed critics online, stating that she follows the rules when challenging calls and added, “Lastly, I’m not a cheater or a thief.” Players are permitted to request video reviews when a distraction interferes with play, which validates her decision to stop the match.

The abuse comes amid growing concerns over online harassment in tennis. The WTA uses an AI system to track thousands of messages targeting players and officials. A recent WTA and World Tennis study found that 12,000 abusive posts and messages were recorded in 2025, up from 8,000 the year before.

Gauff spoke with Sun after the match to clear the air. She apologized for the controversy and praised the Chinese teenager's potential. Sun accepted the apology and understood the situation, though she was visibly emotional during the incident. Gauff called sharing the court with Sun an honour in front of the home crowd.